Youth Offender Rehabilitation : From An Ideal To Reality

• In Event: Innovations in Youth Services

Abstract

Important efforts have been invested in search of ideal models or programs to guide rehabilitation of youth offenders. The Risk–Need–Responsivity model (RNR model; Andrews et al., 1990) has received a great deal of attention. Very few studies verified the validity of the RNR model in naturalistic settings; This is the aim of the study that will be presented. While the youth offenders rehabilitation center in which 120 participants were recruited adopts the RNR model as an ideal model to be applied, the question is raised whether or not the three RNR principle are respected and if so, if it is associated to a lower recidivism rate. While the youth were initially evaluated with validated psychometric instruments, all intervention were coded to evaluate their specificities in regard to the youths' needs and to qualify the intensity of the programs in which they were taken in charge. Therapeutic alliance and youth perceptions were also measured. Different models aiming to verify the validity of the RNR model in predicting recidivism 18 months after initial measurements will be presented. As well, the field "reality" of the interventions done with high risk youth offenders, many of which are gang members, will be described.

Authors

• Louis-Georges Cournoyer, Université de Montréal

• Jacques Dionne, Université du Québec en Outaouais

• Marie-Marthe Cousineau, Université de Montréal

• Marie-Josée Fleury, McGill University